Initialed buckle, plate, and the like



A. POLLAK.

INITIALED BUCKLE, PLATE, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 192i- Patemefl Got. 3, 1922 ATTORNEY.

Patented @ct. 3, H922.

UNHTED STATES PATENT @FFHQEZ.

ABRAHAM POLLAK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

INITIALEID BUCKLE, PLATE, AND THE LIKE.

Application filed November I l, 1921. Serial No. 514,909.

T 0 all whom it mag/ concern: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion of 55 Be it known that T, ABRAHAM PoLLAK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tnitialed Buckles, Plates, and the like, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates more particularly to certain novel features of construction pertaining to the face plate of a buckle or other article and initial letters or the like to be applied thereto, whereby the letters may be pressed into position and there held without the aid of the clamping plates and other extra devices at present in use for securing initials on buckles. In accordance with my invention the initial letters may be carried in stock and denote any or all of the letters of the alphabet and in any suitable combination or grouping these letters may be forced into position in the opening in the face-plate with a snap or spring effect and be securely held by their own engagement with the face plate of the buckle-or the like. A further important feature of my invention resides in the provision at the upper and lower ends of the letters, of certain bars which abut against one another in series at their ends and serve, in addition to other duties, to accurately space the letters apart; these bars are concealed behind the faceplate of the buckle and hence at the opening or slot in said face plate only the initial letters appear. 1

My invention is applicable to the initialing of belt buckles, belt-pins, initial-plates for automobiles and other plates to which it may be desired to apply initial letters or numbers or emblems or combinations thereof. The features of my invention are applicable alike to letters, numbers and other emblems, and in any use thereof the letters, numbers or emblems will be snapped into position across the opening in the plate and be securely held by their engagement with the plate at the edges of said opening, or adjacent thereto, and said letters or numbers will be kept properly spaced apart by the spacing ,bars carried by them.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

a belt equipped with an init-ialled buckle embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the buckle taken on the dotted line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the belt portion being shown in top view.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the buckle taken on the dotted line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detached front elevation of one of the initial letters constructed for application tothe buckle or the like;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the same;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a modified form of initialled plate, for a buckle or other article, embodying my invention, and

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the same taken on the dotted line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

In the drawings, referring to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, 1O designates a portion of a belt of ordinary character and 11 a buckle thereon, said buckle being of any usual or suitable construction except as to the features of the face-plate l2 and initial letters 13 which embody my invention.

The face plate 12 has formed therein a I rectangular opening or slot 14, around which said plate constitutes a frame, which may be plain or embellished, as may be desired. The edges of the plate 12 at the top and bottom of the opening or slot 14 are rounded, as shown in Fig. 3, and in other respects the plate 12 is or may be of ordinary construction.

The initials 13 shown denote A and P respectively, but said initials are representative only, since I propose to provide for this feature, all the letters of the alphabet and also, whenever desired, numbers to be used with or as substitutes for the letters. I have shown a group of two initial letters but the invention is not limited to the use of two initials since without departure from or modification of my invention any appropriate number of letters may be made use of.

The letters numbered 13 are alike with respect to the novel features of; my invention, and these letters are each in one integral piece of material, preferably sheet steel, silver or gold, and of skeleton format1on,and each letter is formed at its upper and lower ends with horizontal spacing bars 15 which ar of special character and utility. The

letters 13 are odset trontwardly "from the bars 15 and at their upper and lower ends areconnected with said bars by undercut or recessed necks 16 which embrace the upper and lower edges oi the opening 14 and secure the letters to the plate 12. The upper and lower edges of the letters 13 are slightly rounded, as at 17, to facilitate the entrance of the letters through the opening it with a spring-snap eiiect. The bars 15, when the letters 13 are in position, engage and lie flat against the back of the plate 12, and said bars serve the important duty of properly spacing the letters a art. The bars 15 extend laterally beyon the individual letters, and when the letters are in position said bars at contiguous ends thereof abut against one another in series, thereby preserving the due cordance with my construction said bars be come firmly positioned by the positioning of the letters 13, and hence the bars may be of the narrow elongated outline shown.

The opening 14 in the plate 12 is closed at its upper and lower edges and side ed es,

and hence the opening 14 constitutes in c act a rectangular enclosed slot, which will be of appropriate size to display the initial letters 13. The recesses in the necks 16 at the upper and lower edges of the letters 13 permit said edges of the letters to project to a slight extent upwardly above and down- 1 shall be carried in stock and applied to a war'dly below the horizontal edges of the opening 14, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and solid lines in Fig. 3, and hence the initials become held against displace- .ment either inwardly or outwardly, or upwardly or downwardly, and said letters are,

r as aforesaid, kept in proper laterally spaced relation by the bars .15, which also aid in preventing the letters from' being pushed outwardly through the opening 14.

It is intended that the initial letters 13 buckle 11 or the like in accordance with the wishes of a purchaser. When the purchaser has selected the initials he desires for'the buckle, the dealer will apply those initials to the buckle, and in doing so will, by pressure, at the back of the letters, snap the same through the opening 14 so that the outlines of the letters will appear at the front of the buckle while the spacing members 15 will engage the rear face thereof, the resiliency and fit of the letters to the edges of the openmg 14 serving to retain the letters in posileeches tion. The letters 13 will vary in size and shape in accordance with the size of the buckle and the dimensions of the opening 1 therein, it being intended that the outlines of the letters shall alone appear at the front of the buckle. The letters will also vary in width so that, if desired, three initials, for illustration, might be applied to the opening lat in the plate 12 instead of the two initials as at present shown in Fig. 1.

lln Figs. 6 and '2 1 illustrate a modification of my invention in that the plate, numbered 20 in Figs. 6 and 7, is formed around its opening 21 with a forwardly oflsetsur rounding panel-flange 22 to receive the initial letters or the like 23. The letters 23 stand flush with the front vertical plane of the flange 22 and are disposed within the opening 21 of the plate 20, as shown in Fig. 7. The letters .or emblems 23 are equipped at their upper and lower ends with spacing bars 24 corresponding with the bars 15 of Fig. 1, and the outer horizontal edges of these bars 21 are forced into an undercut recess 25 formed at the inner edges of the back of the flange 22. The undercut recesses 25 of Figs. 6 and 7 correspond in function with the undercut recesses of the necks 16 shown in Fig. 3, in that by reason thereof the letters 23 may be directly pushed into position and be there held by the snap-like engagement of the outer horizontal edges of the bars 24 with the undercut recesses 25 of the flange 22.

In Figs. 1 tot inclusive the undercut recesses are provided at the upper and lower end of the body-portion of the initials or emblems 13, -w areas in the construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the undercut recesses are formed in the plate 20 and are engaged by the outer horizontal edges of the bars 24. In both instances the letters or emblems are snapped into position by direct ressure and are held secured to the plate y the binding action of the letters or emblems themselves, no extra securing means being necessary. It 'is immaterial therefore in the broader aspect of my invention ency of the letters to bow frontwardl on convex lines due. to the resistance 0 the plate to the complete straighteningout of the initials, and this is beneficial 1n maintaining a binding action of the initials against the plate and iii-preventing the mi;

incense tials from being pushed inwardly, while the bars, 15 or 24c, prevent the initials from being pushed outwardly.

i do not limit myself to all of the details of construction described since some of these details may be modified within the spirit of my invention and the scope ofthe appended claims. I employ the word initials in the claims in a generic sense, meaning thereby letters, numbers or other emblems.

What I claim as In invention and desire to secure by Letters atent, is:

1. A plate having an opening in the face thereof, and an initial letter or the like ap plied thereto, said initial being adapted for exposure at said opening and to be directly sprung into position thereat and held by its own engagement with said plate, and said initial being held slightly convened at said opening due to the resistance oi the plate'to the complete straightening out of the initial when the same is "forced into position.

2. A plate having an opening in the face thereof, and an initial letter or the like applied thereto, said initial being adapted for exposure at said opening and to be directly sprung into position thereat and held by its own engagement with said plate, said plate and initial having coacting horizontal surfaces one set of which is undercut to lock the initial firmly to the plate.

3. A plate having an opening in the face thereof, and initial letters or the like applied thereto, said initials being adapted for exposure at said opening and having at their upper and lower ends spacing bars extending laterally beyond the initials at the back of the plate and adapted at their contiguous ends to abut against one another and thereby maintain the initials properly spaced apart, and said initials being projected forwardly beyond the vertical plane of said spacing bars and into the opening in said plate.

i. A plate having an opening in the face thereof, and initial letters or the like ap plied thereto, said initials being adapted for exposure at said opening and to be directly sprung into position thereat and held by their own engagement with said plate, and said initials having at their upper and lower ends spacing bars extending laterally beyond the initials at the back of the plate and adapted at their contiguous ends to abut said initials having at their upper and lower ends spacing bars extending laterallybeyond the initials at the back of the plate and adapted at their contiguous ends to abut against one another and thereby maintain the initials properly spaced apart, said plate and initials having coacting horizontal surfaces one set of which is undercut to lock the initials firmly to the plate.

6. A plate having an opening in the face thereof, and an initial letter or the like having bars at its upper and lower ends to engage the baclr oi said plate and connected with the initial at the upper and lower ends thereof by recessed necks which offset the initial forwardly from the vertical plane of .said bars, said initial being adapted to be sprung into said opening and to position said recessed necks into engagement with the upper and lower edges of said opening, for securing the initial in position by its own engagement ,with said plate.

7. A plate havin an opening in the face thereof, and initial etters or the like applied thereto and adapted to be sprung into exposure position at said opening and having at their upper and lower ends spacing bars extending later-all beyond the initials at the back of the pate and adapted at their contiguous ends to abut against one another and thereby maintain the initials properly spaced apart, said bars being connected with the upper and lower ends of the initials by recessed parts adapted to interlock with the upper and lower edges of said opening and directly secure the initials to the plate.

Signed at Steubenville, in, the county oi Jefferson, and State of @hio, this 9th day of November, A. D. 1921.

ABRAHAM PULLAK.

till:

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